-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Sean Connery was n't supposed to be James Bond . Keanu Reeves was n't supposed to be `` The One . '' So , who were the original choices ?

`` I would have absolutely messed up ` The Matrix , ' '' Will Smith told Wired about turning down the role of Neo .

Here are 5 actors and the legendary roles they turned down :

1 . THE ROLE : James Bond in `` Dr. No ''

WHO LET IT GET AWAY : Cary Grant

Despite being Bond producer Albert Broccoli 's best man , Grant said , `` I do n't '' to the offer , and Sean Connery got the role instead .

Of course , many studio executives objected to the decision , and even Bond creator Ian Fleming said Connery `` was n't exactly what I had in mind . ''

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By the 1960s , Cary Grant already had a spectacular film career . If he 'd accepted the role -LRB- as Broccoli later revealed -RRB- , it would 've been just a one-movie deal . Mental Floss : Name that 007 tune

2 . THE ROLE : Neo in `` The Matrix ''

WHO LET IT GET AWAY : Will Smith turned it down to star in the forgettable action flick `` Wild Wild West , '' and the part went to Reeves .

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In an interview with Wired , Smith said , `` I would have absolutely messed up ` The Matrix . ' At that point I was n't smart enough as an actor to let the movie be -- whereas Keanu was . ''

3 . THE ROLE : Vincent Vega in `` Pulp Fiction ''

WHO LET IT GET AWAY : Michael Madsen , who was stuck in lengthy rehearsals for `` Wyatt Earp . '' John Travolta got the role instead and , almost overnight , transformed from a Hollywood has-been into one of the most bankable stars in the business .

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Madsen called `` Wyatt Earp '' a `` big waste of time . ''

Mental Floss : Kim Jong Il , the director he kidnapped , and the awful Godzilla film they made together

4 . THE ROLE : Gandalf in the `` Lord of the Rings '' trilogy

WHO LET IT GET AWAY : Sean Connery , who 'd never read the J.R.R. Tolkien series and claimed he `` did n't understand the script . '' -LRB- Can you say karma ? -RRB-

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In return for playing the role , New Line Cinema offered the Scottish actor up to 15 percent of worldwide box office receipts , which would have earned Connery more than any actor had ever been paid for a single role -- as much as $ 400 million .

5 . THE ROLES : Sundance in `` Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , '' Jimmy `` Popeye '' Doyle in `` The French Connection , '' and Captain Benjamin Willard in `` Apocalypse Now ''

WHO LET THEM GET AWAY : Steve McQueen

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McQueen turned down the role of Sundance simply because costar Paul Newman refused to give him top billing .

Later , McQueen declined the lead in `` The French Connection '' because he felt the part was too similar to the tough cop he 'd played in 1968 's `` Bullitt . '' Gene Hackman took the part and won an Oscar for it .

And finally , in 1978 , McQueen told `` Apocalypse Now '' director Francis Ford Coppola to shove off when he was offered the lead . McQueen 's non-negotiable asking price was $ 3 million ; plus , he did n't feel like spending four months shooting in the Philippine jungle .

Instead , Martin Sheen landed the role , and despite suffering a heart attack during the stressful production , he gave one of cinema 's greatest performances . Mental Floss : The 9 Battles of Martin Scorsese

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Sean Connery turned down role of Gandalf in `` LOTR '' and lost $ 400 million

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Imagine Will Smith as Neo in `` The Matrix ; '' he declined the role

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John Travolta was NOT the first choice for `` Pulp Fiction 's '' Vincent Vega

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Steve McQueen rejected lead roles in `` Apocalypse Now ; '' `` Sundance ''